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Small, cheap smart-tag devices that are printed as digital circuits in rolls like newspapers could help kickstart the wireless payment industry. The devices, known as rectennas, combine a rectifier - which converts current from AC to DC - with an antenna, and can harness power directly from radio waves given off by a mobile phone. Developed by a team at Sunchon National University and Paru Printed Electronics Research Institute in South Korea, the rectenna is based on Near Frequency Communication (NFC) technology, an update to the more familiar RFID standard found in London Underground's Oyster ticketing system, for example. NFC chips can be used to tag many of the same things RFID chips can, from pets to luggage to boxes in a warehouse. The killer app is likely to be contactless payment, where payments are made by waving a reader in a phone over an NFC price tag. Though this technology has been touted for a few years now - and worldwide payments by NFC-enabled phones are predicte...

Jul 23, 2012 9:20 AM   If you've ever peered inside the ports or slots on your gadgets and wondered what was really going on inside to make them work, this enlightening video will answer all of your questions. It turns out it has nothing to do with circuits, microprocessors, or even software. All of that is just a ruse, designed to obfuscate the real tiny wonders that lurk inside your devices. [YouTube via Neatorama] View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.